Hafeez returns to Pakistan Test squad after two years out

E-Paper | June 13, 2026

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday added veteran cricketer Mohammad Hafeez to an already sizable 17-member squad for the upcoming two-Test series against Australia.

While the Aussies had picked a standard 15 players for the series that begins October 7, Pakistan had raised a few eyebrows with its squad announcement by naming two more players than their counterparts in their squad.

The Inzamamul Haq-led selection committee today inducted Hafeez into the squad today, taking the roster's strength to 18.

The decision comes as a surprise also because the 37-year-old Hafeez last played the five-day format for Pakistan in 2016, and at his age international cricketers generally tend to focus on the shorter formats.

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M. Saeed

Oct 01, 2018 02:31pm

He must master his revised bowling action so that he is not banned again.

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dean

Oct 01, 2018 02:33pm

Stupidity has no boundaries!! I cannot believe Inzimamul decision to bring Hafeez back along with Wahab Riaz. Pakistan is definitely going backwards !!

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Umair Karim

Oct 01, 2018 02:43pm

He was dropped from the Asia Cup squad for note being fit, Surprisingly he's now fit for the 5 Day format :)

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Dost

Oct 01, 2018 02:43pm

This is y Pakistan cricket is getting degrading coz management has no clear-cut policy for future.instead they should have invested this home series in youngsters.

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ZAKASS

Oct 01, 2018 02:46pm

That's the bench strength or Plan B for Pakistan - Hafeez, Shoaib, Wahab Riaz etc

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Mirza

Oct 01, 2018 02:51pm

Ridiculous decision.

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Shamroze

Oct 01, 2018 02:54pm

This is a case of you rub my back, I will rub yours. While great bowlers like Junaid warm the bench, people like wahab riaz who are club level, get into an international eleven again and again. Pathetic, mr pm please take not.

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Pak_UK

Oct 01, 2018 02:57pm

Good in these conditions. But he must play down the order as he plays spin well.

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TOMATO

Oct 01, 2018 03:36pm

Shows uncertainty in the minds of the selectors...

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auginpk

Oct 01, 2018 03:38pm

We are living in interesting times .

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NKG

Oct 01, 2018 03:40pm

What a joke. Get ready for another series of single digit scores from this guy, with suspect bowling action he cannot bowl either.

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A. ALI

Oct 01, 2018 03:42pm

So pak should bat with 9 batsmen whenever he is in team... this is 2 steps back... no chance to have good pak team if Hafeez and Shoaib are our options....

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Mansoor

Oct 01, 2018 03:54pm

Just to complete the usual Chorus, Why Fawad Alam is not selected, AGAIN.

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Yub

Oct 01, 2018 04:15pm

Happy birthday in advance for October 2018 series. He will be 38 but his special skill will be bowling that won icc champions trophy and t20 world cup

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Arju

Oct 01, 2018 04:24pm

Finally a good decision by PCB selection team!

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mak

Oct 01, 2018 04:33pm

Selection Committee will not search new players and will stick to these old and failed 10 to 15 batsman. Next time Abdul Hafeez and Wahab Riaz will be dropped and rejected ones will be selected.

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Badar

Oct 01, 2018 04:51pm

Pakistan is heading towards a humiliation in UAE, in test series..

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Wasim

Oct 01, 2018 04:55pm

@Umair Karim Well he wont remain unfit for life, would he? Though i agree someone new should have been given the chance, Fawad alam should have been bought back

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BhaRAT

Oct 01, 2018 05:01pm

Great decision he should’ve never been excluded from the team and from Asia cup squad particularly he gives Pakistan a great edge in bowling he should bat down the orders for quick runs he’s an excellent all rounder

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Ghalib

Oct 01, 2018 05:10pm

What folly? The height of embarrassment. I have no problem with the individual. Is this best Pakistan can produce? Good grief!

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Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad

Oct 01, 2018 05:15pm

Welcome back to the green-shirts test squad. If selected, this is by far, his last and final opportunity to prove his credentials and worth as a global test level all-rounder cricketer.

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Tahir A

Oct 01, 2018 05:16pm

A good and a handy player.

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Shande

Oct 01, 2018 06:06pm

Pakistan has spend many years in Hafeez without gaining much reward. And finally when he started to deliver team management dropped him. Its time to get max advantage from his experience. I' am not sure about test matches, but in ODI Malik and Hafeez would be crucial for Pakistan batting in World cup.

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Shahid

Oct 01, 2018 07:01pm

Why add another as a late thought. Who is being obliged? If he was fit for place why bend the tradition of 15 squad by stuffing 2 more?

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Tariq Islam

Oct 01, 2018 07:12pm

PCB has lost the plot, unimaginative,this guy has time and time again proved how incompetent he is,either people in Pakistan have lost all desire to play cricket or Hafeez just captured a Jinn to help him in holding a cricket bat!

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Salman

Oct 01, 2018 07:14pm

He should had been included in limited overs squad not test. Ridiculous decision.

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Iqbal Butt

Oct 01, 2018 07:59pm

Bad decision!!!

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optimist

Oct 01, 2018 09:14pm

Inzimam doesn't care if he selects 17 players as he is not paying for extra two players. What about austerity drive.

Recommend 0

Oct 01, 2018 10:06pm

His parchi is larger than team or PCB selectors have no backbone or plans!

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Jay

Oct 01, 2018 10:11pm

This move manifests the paranoia of Inzi . He is worried about his own job after a total failure in Asia Cup. He failed to select 4 top order confident batsmen and good physically fit spinners. He selected only one full time spinner who got injured and fast bowlers were not supposed to do well on those wickets anyway. If our batsmen can not play on dead wickets of UAE , how will they do good on those fast wickets internationally. Even Bangladesh was more confident this time.

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concernedcitizen

Oct 01, 2018 10:51pm

@dean I agree and that is why Inzi is not suitable for the rule he is in, since these positions require strategic and critical thinking which Inzi lacks big time. His decision to bring back Wahab and hafeez confirm it already. We need to move forward and give this team some time to settle instead of bringing back past failures. God help us

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Arshad

Oct 02, 2018 12:10am

Great decision because he should retire from test cricket on high notes .

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JACKJONES

Oct 02, 2018 01:12am

Hafeez is not a test player, he struggles against pacers like Stein from south Africa. Hafeez is an ODI and T-20 player. Selection committee keeps making the same mistakes. I want hafeez to play for pakistan but as an ODi and T-20 player.

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Vishwajit Gangaputhran

Oct 02, 2018 05:42am

As a neutral indian fan, pak vs aus will be a good series, pak are fav but i guess matches will be much closer as i feel reverse swing will be a big factor and starc, hazlewood as well as pak pace bowlers are proficient in this. it will boil down to how each's middle order prolongs the game by playing attritional cricket and concentrating more on singles and 2's rather than the flashy shots. I hope we get to see good cricket and good comments rather than the usual one upmanship and belittling the opposition-i request my fellow indian fans not to indulge in this. good luck to pak from an indian fan..peace

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Pappu

Oct 02, 2018 10:11am

for test matches best squad for UAE pitches. azhar ali,imam,haris suhail,fawad alam, asad shafiq,hafeez,sarfaraz,shadad, yasir,abbas & Junaid Khan.

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Muhammad Aatif Sharif

Oct 02, 2018 10:17am

He needs to be a permanent part of the ODI and T20 teams too.

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